Quebec Solidaire wants tax deadline officially pushed to July 1

Quebec Solidaire is requesting that Quebec's Minister of Finance Eric Girard extend the deadline for one more month (to July 1) to submit 2019 tax returns without penalty.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that the federal government will tolerate receiving tax returns after June 1, while urging taxpayers to file them as soon as possible.

“If you are unable to do so in time, your benefits like the Canada Child Benefit or the GST and HST credit will not be interrupted all of a sudden. You will receive them until September,” said Trudeau during his daily press conference on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa.

Revenu Québec also announced on Friday that citizens who will not be able to file their 2019 income tax return before the June 1 deadline will continue to receive the tax credits to which they are entitled, such as the solidarity tax credit or the tax credit for home-support services for seniors.

Sunday, Quebec Solidaire issued a news release in which the party claims to help citizens more by an outright extension of the deadline.

MNA Vincent Marissal, Quebec Solidaire’s economic and fiscal justice spokesperson, believes that “we cannot penalize citizens because we asked them to stay at home.” According to him, Quebec must grant them additional time in order to allow tax clinics to help a greater number of people to file their return within the required time.

These clinics for low-income people were granted permission to resume operations last week after the disruption caused by containment measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus in the country.

Community organizations participating in the tax assistance service program can therefore resume their activities, but with virtual sessions with taxpayers or by telephone.

These free tax clinics are operated by volunteers through a joint Revenu Quebec and the Canada Revenue Agency program.

Last year, more than 3,700 volunteers from 540 organizations helped more than 165,000 Quebecers with a modest income and a simple tax situation to complete their tax returns.

The re-opening of Montreal's cultural scene has begun, as the Museum of Fine Arts welcomed visitors for the first time in months on Saturday.

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